A Change of Heart
by EyesThatShine
Summary: (Yukiru) She was my best friend, and I cared for her. But why does it hurt all of a sudden whenever she wasn't nearby? Why do I feel like embracing her the moment I see her? Why does my heart beat faster whenever my eyes catch a glimpse of hers? Why do I start to feel so strange when she smiles at me? All I do know is that... I don't want to lose her.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! This is my first FanFiction… ever. I apologize if it's bad, but I hope you enjoy it! If you have any criticism for me, you have full right. I will work harder on the next chapter. ^-^**

The sun was shining very bright, and there were a lot of kids playing outside in the park. They were playing ball, playing tag, or just talking with their friends. Everyone looked so happy – except for a little girl who was quietly swinging on the swings… all by herself.

A little brunette gripped on the chains of the swing as she swung back and forth. She had blue eyes… but they looked sad. Her bangs were covering her eyebrows. She was wearing a pink T-shirt with a white skirt that had strawberries sewed on them. Her sandals were sparkling along with the sun. She wasn't smiling at all… she looked so lonely. She turned around to face her mother – who was sitting at a near-by bench. Unlike Tohru, she had long red curly hair. Her eyes were a beautiful shade of purple, and she was wearing a red sweater and work pants. She saw her daughter looking her way, and waved back at her. She got off from the bench and walked towards her. Tohru began to get off from the swing, and watched her mother as she came towards her, "Tohru… are you bored?"

The little six-year-old nodded her head, "There is no one to play with mommy! What do I do now?"

"There is no one to play with?" her mother asked her with a confused but playful look, "Look around you! There are so many kids here! Why don't you play with them?"

"But I don't know any of them…"

"So why don't you get to know them." She kneeled down to pat Tohru's head, and smiled at the frowning Tohru, "You should make new friends! It's a part of growing up, and you can learn so much from them! Meeting new people, sharing your ideas, talking about your interests, listening to their interests – it' a lot of fun! So now, go out there and make some new friends!"

Tohru nodded again, and decided to do as her mother suggested. She went back to the bench, and watched Tohru as she made her way to all the other kids who were all happily playing with one another. Tohru hesitated to go any further, after seeing how kids were really there. It made her feel weird in a way. She was not someone who was very social… but she wasn't someone who would ignore someone else completely. The light breeze that was coming was getting stronger, and some of the sand began to fly along with it. Tohru didn't notice it at first, but there was also a red baseball cap flying with the wind. It was coming Tohru's way, and she didn't see it until it landed on her face – hitting her nose.

The cap fell down on the sand, and Tohru stared at it. Where did it come from? Tohru looked around to see if anyone was there chasing after it, but no one showed up. She picked up the cap, and looked at it carefully. It was dusty and it looked worn out, but it was cute nonetheless. It wasn't long before she heard someone call her direction…

"Hey!"

Tohru turned around – to find a boy running after her. Of course – she wasn't going anywhere, but Tohru went wide-eyed after looking at this boy. He looked very handsome and looked about the same age as her. Tohru blinked a few times… and just stared at him running her way. She felt her hair fly everywhere with the wind that was blowing. She tried pushing it back, but it refused to stay in one place. The boy caught up t her, panting, "That's… my… cap…"

Tohru continued to watch him trying to catch his breath. "Are you okay…?"

The young boy nodded while straightening up, "Yes… I'll be fine." His gaze met hers, "Can I please have my cap back now? You're crushing it."

Tohru looked down on her hands, and saw her hands gripping the cap extremely tightly. After realizing what she was doing, she blushed and handed the cap to him, not looking at his direction. "Sorry…"

Something close to a smile came across this young boy's lips as he put the cap on his head… although it looked a bit blank. But it was a smile, and it did make him look a lot happier. His eyes consisted of a beautiful shade of amethyst and a mop of silver hair brushed against his forehead… but his eyes looked sad. They showed no happiness whatsoever, and that brought a look of concern on Tohru's face. "You shouldn't be saying 'sorry'," he suddenly spoke up, catching Tohru's attention, "I should thank you for catching my cap, so thank you."

Tohru giggled, "More like my nose caught it, but then she dropped it." She placed her index finger on her nose and patted it.

The young boy giggled softly, which make Tohru's heart slightly beat faster. She wanted to know his name, but she got scared to ask. She secretly hoped that he would tell her his name without her asking him… and her wish came true, "I'm Yuki – Yuki Sohma."

"My name is Tohru Honda."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Honda-san."

"Honda-san?" Tohru asked him, looking confused but smiling a playful smile, "Please… just call me Tohru. I like that better."

"Alright… Tohru-kun. How about now?" Tohru gave him another warm smile, "Perfect… thank you."

After Tohru spoke… no one spoke. There was a pause, and both of them were looking down at their feet. Tohru was wishing that he would play with her – but she should ask him. She shouldn't always expect people to give her what she wanted without asking them in the first place. But Yuki looked as if he didn't want to be near her at all. His smile disappeared, and his head hung down. Tohru looked up towards him, blinking a few times. She wanted to say something…but what could she say? What _do _you say to someone who looked as if they had no interest in you? But… even if he did have no interest in her, then why was he still here?

"Umm…" Tohru began to say, still finding her words. Yuki lifted his gaze, and looked at Tohru, waiting for her to say whatever she had to say. Tohru took a deep breath, and said, "Are you alone here?"

Yuki nodded slightly, looking back at the ground, "I actually… snuck out."

Tohru raised both her eyebrows, looking shocked, "You snuck out? But why would you do that?"

Yuki smiled again, but it was still blank. "If I didn't… my guardian would've never allowed me to go."

"What about your parents?" Tohru suddenly piped out. Yuki went silent, and after Tohru realized what she just said, she bit her lip, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to say anything like that! Please don't get angry...!" Tohru looked as if she was about to cry. Yuki, noticing this, giggled again and went over to pat her head. Tohru stopped quivering, and she looked at Yuki who just made it towards her without her even noticing. His hand felt warm, and her hair gently ruffled along. "I'm not mad… it's alright."

Yuki slowly took his hand back, smiling at a now shocked Tohru, but it slowly turned into another one of her warm smiles. "Do you want to play with me?"

Yuki looked at her… with his eyes wide open. Did she just ask him to play with her? She doesn't think he's weird or strange? Not a word came out of Yuki's lips – but a warm smile was placed on them. Tohru noticed it, and took a deep breath. That was what he was missing – and now he found it. The smile was so beautiful and she could feel more warmth generating in her. She felt so dissolved that she couldn't even hear his words, "Yes… I will."

Even without hearing those words, Tohru took his smile as a yes. She reached for his hand and their fingers entwined. "Okay!" she said sweetly as she dragged him to the playground along with the other kids.

They didn't know for how long… but they played for what seemed like the rest of the day. They took turns pushing each other on the swing – even though Tohru kept asking him to push her higher. The played tag, and Yuki caught Tohru every time, but Tohru couldn't keep up with him. She still had fun though, and so did Yuki. There was a small bush of flowers beside some of the benches in the park, and Yuki picked one for Tohru. She ended up blushing like a red stop sign while she carefully placed it behind her hair while twisting a few strands of hair around it. Later on, they sat down together on one of the benches… and talked. They talked about many things – Tohru's mother Kyoko, Yuki's cousins (Tohru was shocked as well as amazed at the fact that he had so many of them), and just about life today. Tohru found Yuki opening up to her more, and she liked it. She thought that he just takes time to adjust to people, and he could be himself if he knew them a bit better. They were having such a good time talking to each other… but –

"Tohru! Time to go home!"

The two kids turned around to find Kyoko waving at Tohru. Tohru looked a bit sad as she got up from her seat, "I have to go… but I wish I could've stayed longer."

Yuki smiled again, "Me too! I was having so much fun!" Then, he got up and took off the red cap that was on his head, and slowly placed it on hers. Tohru looked at him while he was doing so, and when the hat was in place, she touched it lightly. Yuki's smile didn't leave his lips, "I will try to be here tomorrow, but only if you tell me you'll come."

Tohru felt tears forming her eyes as she nodded, "I promise."

Yuki slowly touched her cheek, "I'm glad we could be friends. I never really had a true friend before."

Tohru blinked a few times after he said that. She wanted to say something more, but he took his hand away and began to walk away. All Tohru could do was look back at him. She made a new friend today – and such a nice one. She wasn't even aware of the fact that her mother heard their little conversation.

**Please be honest with me! I really want you guys to tell me what you think! Read and review if you like or dislike it. You dislike it, then you have every right to criticize me. At first it would hurt, but then I would see what I did wrong! :)**

**If you think it's badly written… I understand that. ^-^**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you so much for the amazing feedback! I have received so much appreciation already! Thank you thank you THANK YOU! Sorry for the long wait... I had things going on. I will try to make this chapter interesting. **

Tohru watched Yuki as he started to run off. Her eyes glittered with happiness, and she smiled as she remembered his hand gently brushing against her cheek... and it felt warm like the summer winds. But... there was no happiness that Tohru was able to find in him. He might look as if was content with whoever he was with or whatever he was doing... but she knew that his emotions were lying to her. She continued waved farewell to him – who turned into a speck of dust by the time her mother called her from behind, "Tohru, who was that?"

The sudden question made Tohru jump suddenly. Not knowing her mother was behind her – who knows if she heard their conversation! She was breathing heavily, and when she turned around to face Kyoko, there was a shocked look planted on her face. Kyoko blinked several times... and giggled playfully before asking, "Did I scare you sweetie?"

Tohru nodded vigorously, and as her breathing started to slow down into pattern, her mother bent down into Tohru's petite height, and smiled with a hint of curiosity mixed in with it, "I'm really sorry honey, but who was that? He looked VERY cute! Did he give you that cap?" She pointed at the top of Tohru's head – her eyes twinkling with interest.

Tohru felt her cheeks heat up suddenly, and a moment later, she was standing in front of her mother looking like a tomato. Knowing that she couldn't hide anything from her mother, she still tried covering both her cheeks with her palms, hoping that she wouldn't notice. And of course... she failed, "Tohru... are you blushing?"

_How do moms know everything? _Tohru always wondered how her mom would find out about all the things she would do – good or bad, little or big, it always seemed like they were continuously on her fingertips, and she could snap whenever. Even though sometimes Tohru found it cool... it also scared her sometimes. But the main question was... should she tell her? She was going to find out anyways... so why bother keeping it a secret? "Umm... his name is Yuki."

A hint of light was to be seen in her mother's eyes as she finished her sentence. Tohru just stood there, patiently waiting for a response from her mother... who just seemed to be staring at her with twinkling eyes and a big grin on her face, "Would you like to come back here again tomorrow?"

Tohru's face lit up, and a big smile was replacing her blank and somewhat shocked look, "YES!"

...

_He was such a good friend to me. He would comfort me whenever I went to him, and he would always hold my hand, telling me everything will be alright. He was there for me when I needed help, and he continued to be there, no matter how much I would ask him. I would tell him everything that went wrong, and he would make me feel better so quickly. He made me laugh, and his warmth could put a smile on my face. We had times where we laughed, and we had times where we cried. We held a few bad memories, but we always had beautiful memories of our time together as best friends. Charming, sweet, and loyal – he was all of them, and the best friend anyone could ever ask for._

_I remember him giving me a necklace on my seventh birthday. It was a heart locket with our faces inserted into the two hearts. We took pictures of ourselves at a fair several months ago... and I think we both had the best time of our lives. The baseball cap he gave me... oh I would never leave the house without it. I never forgot to bring it once... because that cap meant so much to me. _

_He still had a mask on whenever I would be around him. Sometimes I would wonder if he hated me or if he didn't want to be my friend anymore... but he always told me that none of that would ever happen. He always told me that he would never stop being my friend, no matter whatever got between us... _

_What happened to all that?_

**10 Years Later**

Bright sunlight entered the big orange tent, and the light fell upon the eyes of a brunette. They twitched, and started to flutter open. A soft moan came out of her, and as she sat up on top of her sleeping bag. She stretched her arms far out and let them drop, smiling. She turned her head towards a photograph sitting where her backpack and books were. Giving it a quick smile, she said, "Good morning mother! It's a lovely day... isn't it?"

The photograph responded like it always did – with a big grin. Tohru let out a quick sigh, and got out of her sleeping bag, "Well... I don't want to be late for my first day of school, do I?"

She swiftly got changed into her school uniform – a blue blouse and a short blue skirt. She tied her hair carefully with a pair of blue ribbons. She put on her treasured locket...but wondered if the school would allow jewellery... and she was done! She exited her tent slowly, and once she was out, she began twirling around the grass and along with the large trees of the woods. She laughed as she continued spinning around and around... but then had to stop to prevent dizziness and tripping like she always did. She entered her tent again to grab her school bag, and flashed her mom another smile, "Mom, you're in charge of my house today! Bye!"

She bid farewell to her late beloved mother, and left her tent for her first day at Kaibara High. She was nervous about it... but it's normal. She was trying to be confident, but there were times when she wanted to be killed right on the spot so she won't have to deal with this anymore. But... dealing with the first day of high school was better than being killed and ending her beautiful...

And difficult life.

Kyoko passed away a few months ago due to a car accident, leaving Tohru extremely hurt and saddened. She lost her home also due to her demise. She stayed with her grandfather for a while, and he was really supporting of her. He cared for Tohru as if she was his own daughter. Fir the time being, things went very well... until a few more family members decided to join them. The rest of her family weren't too fond of her, and she always wondered whether they would get along and how they would treat them. She moved out – informing her grandfather that she would be staying somewhere else. Actually... she is living in a tent that she got for sale.

It wasn't the easiest or the most comfortable thing to do... but what other choice does she have? All Tohru hoped for was to get enough money from working so she could afford her own little apartment so she wouldn't have to be a burden to anyone. Of course... there were her tuition fees, so it was going to be a bit harder to save up. She just had to keep working and working harder!

As Tohru walked down the dirt road, her eyes met with a VERY large house. She blinked several times as she stared at it. She had never seen a house so beautiful in her life before – and so large! She wanted to get a closer look, so she started making her way towards the house. Stepping ever so quietly, she approached the house – which got larger and larger every time she got closer. When she finally reached there, she felt as if she was eyeing a mansion!

She looked around the house from head to toe, admiring the design and aesthetics about it. It was so well crafted, and so beautifully done. Something else was able to catch her interest, and when she set her eyes upon it, she found twelve Jyunishii figurines lined up in two rows.

A big smile spread across Tohru's lips as she observed the figures with eyes full of interest. All the animals were there – from the rat to the rooster. But... there was no cat to be found...

"My my...!" a voice suddenly emerged from nowhere. Tohru looked up frantically, scared if there was someone there... or if she was hearing voices, "Do my eyes deceive me or is there a young girl – a young HIGH SCHOOL girl nonetheless, standing in my doorstep?"

Okay... she was NOT hearing voices. She looked closer into the house, and saw a black-haired man coming out of the house. Tohru's jaw dropped; not only was she caught by someone for trespassing – even though she didn't mean to, but there was actually someone IN the house. "U-uh... I-I d-didn't mean t-to... um..."

The man chuckled at Tohru sudden stuttering and nervousness, "That's fine, don't worry about it." He looked very handsome, and he seemed nice. He wore a long off-white robe, and his smile looked a tad bit goofy... but sweet nonetheless, "I just set them off to dry. It's actually a bit surprising that these silly little things would attract someone's attention."

Tohru, turning back to normal, giggled softly, "No... I don't find them silly at all! I think they look really cute!" The man beamed at her direction, "Well... I will admit, I too am fond of them. Are you familiar with the Chinese Zodiac?"

Tohru nodded, while continuing to admire the figurines, "My mom told me about all the twelve animals! There's the rat, and the ox, and the tiger, and the rabbit, the dragon, the snake, the horse..."

She continued to point out all the animals, one by one. The man just stood there, smiling as she pointed them out, "... and there is the boar!" She finally finished, and then exhaling heavily, "I can't believe I just said all that!" Her eyes fell onto the man leaning against the passageway, and suddenly said, "Oh was I talking too much! I'm sorry – you must be thinking that I'm an idiot! I'm really sorry if I was annoying you and –

"You weren't annoying me at all!" the man reassured her while he still continued to smile. Tohru sighed in relief, and grinned, "The story is still fresh in my head. I remember my mom telling it to me..."

_A long time ago, God told the animals that he was inviting them to his banquet tomorrow, and don't be late. Hearing this, the mischievous rat lied to his neighbour, the cat, and told him that the banquet would be the day AFTER tomorrow. The next day, the rat rode on the back of the ox and nimbly landed before the banquet hall. After him followed the ox, the tiger, and all the rest, and together they feasted until morning... all except for the cat who had been __**TRICKED.**_

"So... what year are you?" he asked Tohru with interest. Tohru grinned and said, "I'm the year of the dog."

Suddenly, a flash came through his eyes as he sat onto the porch. Tohru backed away, but was stopped when he said, "So you were born in the year of the dog... I KNEW I felt connected to you, can't you feel it? You know I'm a dog too you know, and a girl as pretty as you –

His confusing sentences were cut by a sudden banging on his head. Tohru gasped as he got hit, and went wide-eyed with concern. He rubbed his head weakly. Another voice came out of nowhere, but it sounded soft and sharp, "Really... must you always act like such a lech?"

Tohru looked up to find who this voice belonged to, but her eyes met with a familiar figure. He was tall, and he had beautiful amethyst eyes. His silver hair was brushing against his forehead. He was in a school uniform, so she assumed that he went to Kaibara High. He looked very handsome, and that made her blush. She quickly turned her gaze towards the other man, who was still rubbing his head, "Okay, that hurt! What do you have in there, a dictionary?"

The boy shook his head, "TWO of them."

He began to come out of the house so Tohru could a better look at him. He looked so familiar... why can't Tohru seem to remember him? She felt as if she had known him for almost all her life, but she couldn't remember his name. The man sighed again, "Honestly Yuki, you must ALWAYS make me out to a pervert!"

And then it finally hit her.

_Yuki-kun...?_

**Okay...! We have come to an end! Please keep reviewing like all of you lovely people do! Please keep encouraging me! Your encouragement inspires me! Please review if you like this story! Oh, and thank you to all my reviewers and everyone who favorited and followed the story! I even had someone favorite ME! This is SO amazing! This chapter is dedicated to someone who has inspired me for a while now, and I absolutely love her work, and I'm sure a lot of you do to! This is for you AssassinedAngel!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Oh My Goodness... this is so amazing! I really didn't expect so many reviews! Thank you all so much! All of you were so sweet! Thanks a lot – it really means a lot! I hope to see more reviews like these soon! Please keep me wanting to write this story! When I don't get a review in a while... I kinda think no one likes it so I should just stop... so please review everyone! Thanks! **

She stared at the young boy, not moving a muscle. Her eyes felt frozen – she felt as if she couldn't move them anymore. Her eyes were fixed on the boy in front of her, while a hundred questions kept bouncing back and forth inside her confused mind. She was just too shocked to say anything...

The man kept rubbing my head, "Well, I don't think I've introduced myself. My name is Shigure Sohma... and you are?"

Tohru's eyes fell of the boy, facing Shigure's directions. She blinked several times before stuttering out her name, "T-Tohru Honda... pleasure to meet you Sohma-san."

He nodded, "And same to you," He looked towards Yuki, who placed his backpack onto the floor, "Oh, and this is my younger cousin, Yuki Sohma."

Yuki smiled at her direction, "Pleasure to meet you Honda-san."

Tohru didn't smile; she simply nodded her head, "Same to you Sohma-kun."

Pain stabbed her body the longer she stayed with him. The closer she was to him made her heart ache even more. He doesn't even remember her – he acted as if he never met her in his life. He was such an important part of her life... and then he vanished without a trace... and now he's here, not remembering a thing? She felt tears forming into her eyes. She couldn't stand the pain anymore... she didn't want to be near him anymore. If he could throw her off like that... then she could ignore him like that too. He didn't know her anymore, so what's the big deal? She couldn't expect his memory to just come back like that... but if it did, would he still care for her like he did before?

"I must add... I'm far less violent than Yuki perceives me to be!" Shigure said with a smile, and then he turned to Yuki, "Say, shouldn't you be going to school now?"

Tohru went wide-eyed – _school! _She completely forgot! She was going to be late on her very first day, "Oh... right! I should be going! I don't want to be late." Perhaps this was the best excuse she had to offer to get away from them. She became aware of the fact that Yuki goes to the same school with her... which was going to make it difficult to forget him. She didn't need him anymore! She managed ten years of her life without him, and even though she might be alone in the world, that wasn't going to stop her.

She turned around to make her escape, but was unfortunately stopped by Yuki, "Umm... Honda-san, if you're okay with it, maybe we could walk together?"

Tohru slowly faced his sparkling amethyst eyes, wanting to say 'no' right to his face... but something in her heart doesn't want her brain to. Her heart was overpowering it, and soon, it was in control. "I haven't seen you around in school... are you new?"

She slowly nodded her head, not uttering a word. Yuki smiled softly, making her shiver, "May I lead the way?"

As much as she didn't want to... she couldn't refuse, "Alright... thank you."

And just like that, their hands joined. Their fingers slowly entwined, and Tohru felt the same warmth in him as it was like ten years ago. He was charming as ever, polite as ever, and beautiful as ever... but he left a friend that cared for him more than anything else. Before they knew it, they disappeared from the house, while Shigure waved farewell to them, smiling.

The two teenagers kept walking and walking, while none of them said a word. Their hands were separate, but for some reason, Tohru's hand craved for more. She tried not to make eye contact with him as they walked. The silence felt awkward, and none of them still said anything. Strangely, she just felt so incomplete without him. She felt as if she would die if he left her for another moment... let along ten years. How did she survive without him...?

"Honda-san," Yuki suddenly said, making Tohru lightly jump out of shock. She faced him, waiting for his beautiful voice to say something to her, "I –

"Honda-san?" Tohru suddenly said without knowing, "Please... just call me Tohru. I like that better"

The sentence made Yuki stop in his tracks. Tohru followed him, looking worried. Yuki glanced over at her direction, not saying anything. Confusion struck his face as he made eye contact with the brunette, who looked as confused as he did. Those words... they were...

"_Honda-san? Please... just call me Tohru! I like that better."_

Those same words fluttered into his mind, only the feminine voice was replaced with a sweet and high-pitched voice. Shy, but adorable – nervous, but beautiful. He kept staring at Tohru, with those same words repeating in his head like a disc on replay mode. Tohru blinked several times, wondering if she said anything that shocked him. She wanted to break eye contact... but she couldn't leave his eyes.

"Um... we should be going... I don't think being late would be a good idea."

Yuki suddenly snapped, and looked at his watch, "Oh... s***! We are going to be late if we don't run!" And with that, the both of them ran as fast as they could.

Both Tohru and Yuki tried to run as fast as they could to reach their classroom. Tohru knew that her classroom number was 1-D, and the non – surprising fact was that it was the same as Yuki's. So... not only did they go to the same school, but they were in the same class... great!

The both of them kept running until they reached 1-D, and the first thing their eyes met with was an angry young woman standing in front of the door, tapping her right foot impatiently, "YOU ARE LATE!"

Yuki, panting, nodded, "I'm... sorry... Mayu-sensei..." he said in between breaths. Tohru, who was also trying to catch her breath, watched the two of them in front of her.

"One week of detention for you!" she boomed in front of his face.

"B-but I-"

"NO BUTS!" she screamed, "I HATE students who are late! It drives me crazy just THINKING about dealing with all of you! Now... GET TO CLASS!"

Without protesting any further, Yuki silently went into class.

Mayu-sensei's eyes fell on top of Tohru, who was standing seven feet away from her, "You're the new girl... right?"

Tohru nodded her head slowly, scared by her sharp voice.

"Come closer..." she ordered, and Tohru did as she was told. She was one feet away from Mayu-sensei as she circled around Tohru, observing her from head to toe... "Well... you don't seem very headstrong or the enthusiastic type... and you certainly aren't going to be the loud one. Perfect..."

Tohru's eyes were fixed on the floor the entire time. The teacher scared her – and she seemed pretty judgemental. "Now... what to do with you being late..."

"Please... um... Mayu-sensei," Tohru protested, shooting her head towards the teacher, "It's my first day... and I promise this won't happen again!"

Mayu-sensei didn't say anything for a moment... but then sighed, "I guess I could let you off the hook today, but make sure it doesn't happen again! Understand?"

Tohru quickly nodded, and went inside the room.

There were many kids in there, and a lot of them were looking at her direction. She spotted an empty seat beside Yuki, and quickly took it. He shot her a smile, but she didn't respond. Not only was she upset that it was the only seat available, but she wasn't able to avoid him at all today! She was off at a horrible start...

"Okay..." Mayu-sensei grunted, not looking too excited at all. This made Tohru feel guilty. It was her first day of school and she was late! Way to make a first impression! "The morning didn't go as expected... we had a few people late, who I WILL BE SEEING AFTER SCHOOL!" she suddenly boomed while eying a guilty-looking Yuki, but not facing Tohru's direction at all... "Oh yeah, by the way, we have a new student!"

She faced Tohru with a not-so-nice smile, "Will you please stand up Honda-san!"

She hesitatingly stood up, trying to keep her feet steady. She felt as if she was going to fall down, but thankfully she held on to her table, "Everyone, this is Tohru Honda!"

"Hello..." she said in her quietest audible voice. Her throat felt clogged, and her words began to shake. The teacher paced the room for a few moments and asked, "Honda-san, I heard that both your parents passed away... is that true?"

Who does she think she is? Why would she ask her something like that? Tohru looked as if she was about to cry after hearing her words. Yes... they were both dead... so what? Why does she now have to announce it to the class? Yuki must've noticed how she was feeling at the moment, because he suddenly spoke up, "Mayu-sensei, I don't think that was nice of you to –

"SHUT UP!" she boomed at Yuki, who stopped talking right away, "I don't need you to teach me a lesson in respect! Open your mouth again, and I will increase your detention to TWO weeks!"

Yuki nodded, and set his eyes to his empty desk. Tohru stared at him, and she felt a warm vibe pass through her body. She wanted to thank him for standing up for her, but Mayu-sensei spoke up again, "You may sit down Honda-san! Now class, time for notes!"

Tohru felt as if she couldn't pay attention to what the teacher was saying for the entire class. She couldn't stop looking past her left shoulder to capture a glimpse of Yuki. He hasn't changed a bit in ten years – he was just like he was at the age of seven. Maybe the voice, height, and other things changed over time, but overall, he was still the same. How could she avoid him – it was impossible! He was too important to her. He could hate her, but she would never be able to hate him. He could forget her, but she would never be able to forget him. Her writing wasn't catching up to the teacher's pace... and she didn't seem to care at the moment. All she cared about right now... was Yuki.


End file.
